Beet-lifting blade



April 8;, 1924.

1,489,570 (3 E WHlTE BEET LIFTING BLADE Original Filed may 5, 1919 Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. WHITE, or MoLInn, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO DEERE & COMPANY, or MOLINE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

BEET-LIFTING BLADE.

Original application filed May 5, 1919, Serial Nb. 294,634. Divided and this application filed February'lG,

' 1920. Serial No. 359,126. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it 'known that I, CHARLESE. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident V of Moline, in the county of Rock- Island and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Beet-Lifting Blades, of which the following isa specification, reference being had to. the' accompanying drawings.

This application-is filed as a division of my application, Serial No. 294,634, filed by me on May 5, 1919.

My invention relates to improvements in beet lifting blades and'it has for its principal object the provision of a new and improved form of blade for use upon an im plement generally known as abeet puller. Myimproved blade is designed for loosening thoroughly the earth around the beet and slightly raising the beet so that it can be easily removed by hand, but without forcing the beet entirely out of the ground. It is one of my objects also to give the blade such a form as to force the beet upward slightly as above described without breaking the skin. As a result of the use of my improved means operating upon a row of beets, the beets are protected against-the shrinkage which would result fromthe drying out and shriveling by exposure tov the sun and air which has always resulted when beets have been left lying on top of the ground for any considerable time after being operated upon by the well-lmown-type of beet pullers in use heretofore. By the elimination of a great proportion of the pressure upon the beet which has heretofore forced the beet out of the ground and the consequent much reduced likelihood of bruis ing the beet, I seek to prevent the loss of any of the sweet, rich juices, the mostvalu= able part of the beet, which would escape and evaporate if the beet were broken so as to bleed freely. I have accomplished my several objects by the means illustrated; in the drawings and hereinafter described. That which I believe to be new and desire to cover by this application is set forth in the claims.

In the drawings,- Fig. 1 is a view showing in side elevation a row of beets in the earth and showing the position of one of my Improved lifting blades in relation to the beets;

Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to a row ofbeets showing in rear elevation two of my q Fig. 4 is an end view of the blade shown and Rig. 5 is a'view'of the'blade as seen looking toward itsupp'er edge. fReferring to the several figures ofthe drawings,-10 indicates one of the wheels, partly broken away, upon which is mounted the framework of the beet puller machine of any approvedtype upon which the beams 11 are appropriately-mounted. 12 indicates a draft' bar forming apart of the framework bywhich the beam 11 is braced movably in position, the bar 12 being connected at its rear end to the beam 11 by means of a clip 13 of any approved type.

My improved blade which is secured by means of suitable bolts to the lower end of thebeam 11 is in the form of a flat plate 14, the upper edge portion 15 of which is inin Fig.3 but detached from the blade beam, 1'

clined" quite sharply upwardly and rearwardly for .a considerable portion of its length, s'uch'inclined uppen edge portion approaching closely at its front end to the lower edge of the blade and thus forming a point '16 that readily penetrates the soil. The inclined marginal or edge portion 15 is turned outwardly to a slight extentaway fromthe plane of'the fiat. plate 14, as is best shown in'Fig. 5. 1 This outward turning of the edge'or marginal portion 15 in the direction away from the row of beets upon which the'blade is operating is not in the nature of a sharp bend'but. is rathera curving or roundingof the material of the blade whereby the blade is prevented from cutting or scarring the beets by contact with this edge even though one or more of the beets may happen to be out of alinement with the re-' I aids in the stirring of the soil so that the beets will be more effectually loosened therein but not removed therefrom. 'As is best shown in Fig. 5, the outward turning .of this lower marginal portion gradually and progressively increases towards the rear end of the runner. I I

As is shown in Figs. 1 and 3 in which the parts are in their working position, the blades are positioned on theirv respective beams so as to be somewhat downwardlyand forwardly inclined, their'broad, flat,-' .inner faces being oppositely disposed onwopposite sides of a row of beets. "As-these-iblades-are drawn through the. groundin operative position with respect to .a row of beets; the broad, flat, inclined surfaces of the body portions 14 of. the'blades, which converge toward their lower edges as is shown Fig}. 2, crowd thesoil slightlyzupward between the blades, lifting the beets withr-the soil. As the main. portions of the body faces; pass from'under the soil so acted upon,-such soil will settle back 'to a considerable extent but the beets that have been. loosened andv raised are held in their slightly: raised position while the soil is settlin'gback by reason of their contact with the'vrearwardlyiextending members or runnerslS... Inasmuch as the runners 18 have their, innermostportions turned to present rounded surfaces to' the beets as is above described,'the beets will'not be cut 'or damaged by contact with-such runners. g 7. By reason ofv the inclinedposition of,;the two opposed blades, asclearly shown in Fig. 2, the upward moving of. the 'soilthat-lies between them and of a beetin' such soil is accomplished, as is well understood. In my improved constructionlthe. main or body portion of each blade is. wide and flat so that the inner opposed surfaces? of. such; parts will loosen and forceaupf the soilandlabeet embedded therein and such body? portion terminates abruptly while that member. that has been referred to asthe runner continues rearwar'dly fronrthe lowervpart oft-he said body. This abrupt endingof the body is of very considerable importance inthatthe pressure on the soil, while continued long enough to force it and a beet upward as re quired, is suddenly released and; such loosened earth permitted to pass around the ends of the said bodies ofthe two blades, the runners continuing to support the I beet. during the time that the "soil is settling into position, and also, as hereinbefore stated, aiding in stirring the'soil so that the beets will be more loosely retained-therein.

By the use of my improved blades,I am enabled to avoid the application of such a .soil about the beets and to raise the beets slightly without crowding them out of the earth but leaving them in condition that they can be removed by hand with ease and rapidity. By reason of being left in the earth; the beets will be protected from deteriorationby exposure even though they are not .removed for a considerable period of time after they have beenacted upon by the blades. f

lVhat I claim. as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1-. A blade forlift-ing beets, comprising a body member and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting rearwardly from the lowerpart of said body member, the faces of the two .members lying in the same longitudinal 7 plane and the rear marginal portion of the body memberrising abruptly from the. runner-like member.

2. A bladefor {lifting 'beets, comprising a body member having a forwardly and downwardly inclinedaipper edge toform an earth-penetrating point,;said edge being laterally turned to form a rounded surface, and 1 a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting ,rearwardly fromthe lower. part. of the 'body member with its face in thesamelongitudinal plane as the face of: the -body member and the rear marginal portion of the body member rising abruptly from the runner-likemember.

8. A blade for lifting beets, comprising aqbody member having a forwardly and downwardly inclined upper edge to form an earth-penetrating point, said edge being laterally turnedto form a rounded surface, and a comparatively, narrow runner-like member projecting; rearwardly from the lower. part of the body member with its face in thesaineglongitudinal plane as the face of the body member and with its lower marginal portion :turned laterally toform a rounded surface and the rear marginal por tion of the bodymember rising abruptly from the runner-like member.

4. A blade" forlifting beets, comprising a body member having a forwardly and downwardly inclined upper edge to form an earth-penetrating point, said edge being late-rally turned to form a rounded surface. and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting rearwardly from the lower part 'of'the body member with its face in the same longitudinalplane as the face of the body member, the lower marginal portions of both the body member and the said runner-like member being turned laterally to form a rounded surface and therear marginal portion of the body member rising abruptly from the runner-like member.

5. A blade for lifting beets, comprising a body member and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting rearwardly from the lower part of said body member, the face of the two members lying in the same longitudinal plane, the lower marginal portion of the runner-like member being turned to present a rounded non-cutting edge to the plants in connection with which the blade is used and the rear marginal portion of the body member rising abruptly from the runner-like member.

6. A blade for lifting beets, comprising a body portion having its upper and lower marginal port-ions turned laterally to pre sent non-cutting edges to the plants in connection with which the blade is used, and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting rearwardly from the lower part of the body member, the lower marginal portion of said last-named member being also turned laterally toform a continuation of the lower turned edge of the body member and the rear marginal portion of the body member rising abruptly from the runner-like member.

7. A blade for lifting beets, comprising a. body portion and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting rearwardly from the lower part of the body member, the lower marginal portion of said lastnamed member being turned laterally to present a non-cutting edge to the plants in connection with which the blade is used and the rear marginal portion of the body member rising abruptly from the runner-like member.

8. A blade for lifting beets, comprising a body portion and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting rearwardly from the lower part of the body member, the lower marginal portion of said lastnamed member being turned laterally to present a non-cutting edge to the plants in connection with which the blade is used, the

degree of said lateral turning increasing toward the rear end of the said runner-like member.

9. A blade for lifting beets, comprising a body portion and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting rearwardly from the lower part of the body member, the lower marginal portion of both the body member and the runner-like member being turned laterally to present a continuous noncutting edge to the plants in connection with which the blade is used, and the degree of such lateral turning increasing gradually from the front to the rear of the blade as a whole.

10. A blade for lifting beets, comprising a bodymember and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projectingrearwardly from the lower part of said body member, the lower marginal portion of the said two members being turned laterally to form a rounded surface, the upper marginal portion of the forward part of such body member being downwardly and forwardly inclined and laterally turned, the rear part of such upper marginal portion being in substantially the same plane as the main part'of the said body member, and the rear marginal portion of the body member rising abruptly from the runner-like member.

11. A blade for lifting beets, comprising a body member having the forward part of its upper marginal portion forwardly and, downwardly inclined to form an earthpenetrating point, such inclined forward part being also turned laterally to form a rounded surface, and the rear part of such upper marginal portion lying in substantially the same plane as the main part of the said body member, and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting rearwardly from the lower part of the body member, the lower marginal portion thereof being laterally turned to form a rounded surface and the rear marginal portion of the body member rising abruptly from the runner-like member.

, 12. A blade for lifting beets comprising a flat plate-like body member and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting rearwardly from the lower part of said body member, the forward part of the upper marginal portion of said body memher being forwardly and downwardly inclined and laterally turned and the remainder of said marginal portion and also the rear marginal portion of the body being in substantiallythe same plane as the main part of the body member, and the lower marginal portion of said'body and runner members being laterally turned and the rear marginal portion of the body member rising abruptly from the runner-like member.

13. A blade for lifting beets, comprising a body portion and a comparatively narrow runner-like member projecting rearwardly from the lower part of the body member, the lower marginal portion of said last-named memberbeing turned laterally to present a non-cutting edge to the plants in connection with which the blade is used, the degree of said lateral turning increasing toward the plane as the main part of the said a body portion and a comparatively narrow the front toth'e rear ofthe blade as a whole, 10 runner-like member projecting rearwardly and the upper marginal part of the body from the lower part of the body member, the portion being downwardly and forwardly lower marginal portion of both the body inclined and laterally turned for a part of member and the runner-like member being its length, and in rear of such inclined and turned laterally to present a continuous nonturned portion being in substantially the 15 cutting edge to the plants in connection with same plane as the main part of the said which the blade is used, the degree of such body. 7

lateral turning increasing gradually from CHARLES E. WHITE. 

